Long-Time Member Rita Harbin Shares Her Love for Family | My Member Story   

For many people, the only way to get through the ups and downs of life is leaning on family. The Harbins are no exception!

Family is everything

For the Harbin family, being together is what’s most important. After living in several cities across the United States, Rita, her husband Jessie, and her daughter Samantha Simone found themselves back in Vernal, Utah. They love the tight-knit community where neighbors come together to help each other out—they say it’s perfectly small without being too small.

When Rita isn’t working around the house or running errands, she tries to spend as much time as possible with her daughter Samantha and her granddaughter, Ophelia. Jessie works in the oil industry and has lived in several different countries, off and on, for 30 years. Recently, he was able to make a change and is now based in Vernal, close to home. He loves that he gets to come home to his own bed every night and he can be more involved with Ophelia. After spending the day with them, it’s clear Ophelia has Grandpa Jessie wrapped around her little finger!

A gift named Ophelia

Samantha and her husband were ready to have a child. Due to certain circumstances, they chose to adopt. The process was long and difficult, but their lives changed forever the day before Mother’s Day in 2021 when they were able to meet Ophelia and become her foster parents.

Samantha gushes, “It was the best Mother’s Day ever!” After 11 months of constantly worrying if Ophelia would find a different permanent home, the adoption was finalized, and they were officially a family!

Rita describes Ophelia as a light to the Harbin family—something they needed to heal. “She has brought a ton of joy to our lives,” she says. Rita and Jessie love being grandparents! Now that everyone is in the same town, there is plenty of family time and they get to watch Ophelia grow and learn every day.

Change for the better

Ophelia has been the catalyst for change throughout this family. To start with, Samantha wanted to get a more reliable car. As a member of Mountain America Credit Union, her first stop was the local branch. Not only was she able to get a car loan at a reasonable interest rate, she also consolidated her debt into one payment. This lowered the total interest paid over the life of her debt and saved her a considerable amount of money on the monthly payments!

Jessie has also started saving coins and bills for Ophelia. The cookie tin is filled to the brim and he’s ready to take it into the branch and start a savings account for his granddaughter. Looks like Mountain America is gaining another satisfied member!

Why Mountain America

As a member since 1989, we asked Rita what keeps her and her family at Mountain America. She says it all comes down to the customer service she experiences with every interaction. Feeling like they can always rely on their financial institution to give the best service and advice for all different stages of life is important as she and Jessie navigate their future.

Congratulations to the Harbin and Simone families—not only for being long-time members but for making a beautiful, loving life for one little light named Ophelia. We can’t wait to see where she goes!